Inaugural Woodcutter's Ball in Auburn

EMMA JOHNSON for the Daily News

Published 7:00 am, Thursday, June 12, 2014

Matt de Heus, event director for inaugural Woodcutter’s Ball Women’s Professional Lumberjack Competition, says there hasn’t been a professional lumberjack competition in Michigan for over 10 years. But, this weekend on June 14 and 15 there will be a festival at the Auburn City Park.

In addition to the sports event, the Woodcutter’s Ball will feature activities for children, food, a silent auction, and demonstrations reflective of the time period. There will also be music featuring emerging regional artists in the Americana genre. Listeners can expect rustic acoustic songs.

“It’s a way to celebrate the area,” says de Heus. “We’re trying to make it a community event.”

de Heus says the event seemed like a natural fit because of the history of the lumber industry in the region and is a way to celebrate the area’s lumbering heritage. “This is really the cradle of the industry,” he said.

The sport has been gaining popularity over the past 15 years, according to de Heus, and this weekend’s competition will feature solely women. Competitions centered on women have been a more recent development in the sport.

“There’s a place in my heart for women’s action sports,” said de Heus. He says with a lot of women working out, it makes sense for the sport to include women.

According to their website, “the Woodcutter’s Ball will feature teams from Australia and the United States in a competition that will be sanctioned by the Midwest Lumberjack Association. The plan is to crown individual and team champions in traditional events such as the underhanded chop and crosscut saw.”

There will also be events like ax throwing and two handed saw as well as a timed competition where participants have to start a natural fire and boil water to extinguish it. de Heus says the idea is to replicate what skills one would need on the prairie.

The sport keeps its practitioners active and fit. “You can’t be lazy and be a lumber jack,” said de Heus.

de Heus says Auburn will be part of a greater tour. The competitors will attend three events over the course of three weeks, including Auburn, Wisconsin and Canada.

While usually the sport is a show, this one is different as a competition.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Bay Area Women’s Center and Shelterhouse of Midland and Gladwin Counties. There will be donation boxes as well. “They’re both tremendous to work with and the cause is important to me,” said de Heus.

Festival hours are 10:30 a.m. to midnight on Saturday; and 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Preliminary heats run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Finals are from 11 a.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The beer tent will be open from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, and until 8 p.m. Sunday. The silent auction opens at 11 a.m. both days, with bidding closing 4 p.m. Sunday.

For music, on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m., Lauren Jones, Jeff Yantz and the Barnhands, and Melissa May will be performing. On Sunday at 4 p.m., Marsupial Creampie and Avenue 5 will perform.

Admission to the fenced-in area for athletic events and the beer/entertainment tent is $5 for ages 12 and older, free for 11 and younger. After 6 p.m. Saturday, admission is free for all ages.

See woodcuttersball.com for more information. If anyone would like to volunteer at the event, de Heus can be reached at (989) 225-3741 or jmd@freewillinc.net